


Different This Time

by orphan_account



Category: Total Drama, Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Duncney - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gigette, M/M, NSFW, Slow Burn, Smut, Total Drama World Tour, Total Drama: Action, Total drama island - Freeform, gwent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-20 09:31:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17619905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Their fifteen minutes of television fame had set them up nicely, but the limelight has faded. Her career hasn't gone exactly as she had planned. His marriage has failed. Fifteen minutes turned into fifteen years and they've maintained some mutual friends, but they've managed to avoid each other for all these years. Perhaps when Duncan and Courtney meet again, it'll be different this time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ALRIGHTY so no one judge me for this. I don't know why but Total Drama is a show from my childhood that I just keep coming back to and I've always loved. I've written a few pieces for this series but this is the first one that I've published because I actually really like it. I always thought that Duncney was such a pure couple and that it got completely skewed and that Gwencun was always just shabby fanservice. SO HERE I AM TO RESURRECT DUNCNEY FROM ITS GRAVE because it is my one true drive in life :) ok thank u, next

Courtney sighed and stirred her drink with her finger, looking longingly into the glass.

“Hey,” her friend, Miranda, said and nudged Courtney’s shoulder, “what’s up buttercup? You’ve barely even finished your first drink and it’s Friday night! That’s so unlike you!”

Courtney shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just not feeling it tonight?”

“Oh, that is bullshit, honey. The school year is about to end, you have access to all of your favorite drinks  _ and _ fried pickles, and hay una tonelada de hombres en la casa tonight!”

“Por favor, Miranda, calmate,” Courtney replied in Spanish, enjoying the fact that she had a best friend who could speak her language with her.

“Seriously though, what’s wrong, mija? Usually, you’d be a couple of drinks in and ripping on your student’s final essays by now. I’m concerned.”

Courtney smiled, actually managed a laugh, and took a sip of her drink. “Thanks. It’s good to know that my lack of negativity alarms you.”

“Ugh, you know what I meant!” Miranda laughed and then directed her attention towards the bartender, who was a close friend of theirs by now. “Hey, Jonas, can me and Court get two more margaritas? And make Court’s a double!” Jonas acknowledged her and started whipping up the drinks.

“I don’t need a double,” Courtney said and tugged at her hair. “A damn time machine is what I need.”

“And why is that?” Miranda asked, seriously getting worried with her friend’s odd behavior.

Courtney fidgeted on her bar stool and nibbled on her lip, hesitating for longer than necessary. “I just — and I know this is going to sound crazy — I just feel like this isn’t how my life should have turned out.”

“Yo, why is that, hun?” Jonas asked as he set the drinks down in front of the two Hispanic women. “Look around you, you’re in the best bar in town with two of your best pals. What more could you want?”

“Jonas, you’re only here because you have to be. You work here,” Courtney deadpanned.

“Hey! I’d be here for you on my day off, you fiery little beast. Now for real, what’s going on?” Jonas asked again, ignoring the two drunk college girls trying to score free shots off of him.

“I mean, you guys know the  _ current _ me. I had a lot of things going for me when I was younger and I — UGH! Jonas! How much tequila did you put in here?” Courtney said, nearly choking on the heat in her throat.

“A double! Don’t be a baby! And hey, it sounds like you need it. So why don’t you keep on with that little story? Hang on. HEY CARLY,” Jonas shouted at the head bartender, “I’m taking my break!” With that, he walked around the bar and plopped himself down next to Courtney. “Now, continue.”

“Do you guys remember that show that I was on when we were teenagers?” Courtney asked, hiding her face in shame.

“Well,  _ you guys _ were teens. I was already twenty-one at the time and —”

“Probably not the point here, Jonas,” Miranda said, “Can it.”

“Like I was saying,” Courtney continued, “I made such a fool of myself on international television for years! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get into a good law school with all of that out there? I could have had my own law firm by the age of thirty which would have been so amazing. But now I’m teaching historical literature at a university.”

“But I thought you loved teaching?” Miranda said sympathetically. “You’re still incredibly established for your age and you're a great teacher!”

“I mean, I guess, and I do love it  _ now _ . But...I just feel like I could have been so much more. It was always my dream to be a lawyer and I ruined that for myself by acting psychotic on that stupid show! All the shit I pulled then seemed so logical at the time, God knows why, but it did. But looking back on it now, it was all just so insane!”

“Hang on here,” Jonas interrupted, “this doesn’t have anything to do with that Total Drama reunion you mentioned a couple weeks ago, does it?”

“WHAT?!” Miranda screeched. “You went on a bar run without me,  _ and _ you were hiding something from me?”

“Probably not the point here, Miranda,” Jonas mocked Miranda’s tone from earlier. “Can it.”

Courtney slammed half of her drink, cringing at the amount of tequila in it, then rested her head in her arms on the bar. “It absolutely has everything to do with it. It’s next weekend, and I have to go.”   

“Why do you  _ have _ to go?” Miranda asked. “If it mortifies you so much then just don’t show. I’m sure it won’t be that big of a deal.”

“No,” Courtney whined, fiddling with the lime on the side of her now empty glass, “I already promised Geoff and Bridgette I would go and Bridgette was so excited to put this together. They’ve always stuck by me and Bridgette’s basically the only reason I’m friends with Gwen after the shit I pulled, and I don’t want to let them down. I missed their wedding shower a couple years ago so I feel like I should make up for that one, too.”

“You want another one of those, hun?” Jonas asked, gesturing to her drink. “I should get back to work anyways.”

“Yeah, sure. Gracías, Jonas,” Courtney said and handed him the glass.

Jonas scooped the glass from her hand and kissed her on the top of her head. “Anytime, beastie. Coming right up.”

“So you’re really going through with it then? I mean, we’ve talked about the show a lot, mija. I know how you feel about it,” said Miranda, rubbing Courtney’s arm comfortingly. “If it’s too much you really don’t have to.”

Courtney was rubbing her forehead and shook her head. “No, I’m a big girl, I can handle it. And it’s just the original cast so it shouldn’t be that bad, but I’m still not that excited about it.”

“I mean you’re all adults now, maybe it really won’t be so bad! Maybe you’ll even enjoy yourself.”

“Yeah,” Courtney snorted, “let’s see if my drink can convince me of that.” She picked up her new margarita from Jonas and raised it to Miranda. “Let’s toast in hopes that I don't throw myself off a building next week.”

Miranda laughed. “I have high hopes, mija. And hey, at least you won’t have to see Scott the hillbilly.”

“Yeah,” Courtney said and tossed backed a decent amount of tequila, “he’s not really the one that I’m worried about.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a good chunk of chapters pre-written LMAO enjoy the spam

“Alright, you all packed? All your shower stuff? Toothbrush? Clothes? Do you have enough socks?” Miranda fussed over Courtney as she was preparing to leave.

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Courtney laughed and waved her friend. “I’m an adult, Miranda, I know how to pack for a weekend! And hey, thanks for staying here and watching Tequila for me,” Courtney said as she set her bags down by the door, causing her black lab, Tequila, to whine.

“Oh honey,” Courtney cooed at her dog, “it’s okay. I’ll be home in a few days.” She scratched behind Tequila’s ears and nuzzled her head against hers. “Miranda’s gonna stay here and watch you while I’m gone. You’re gonna have a great time! Te amo, baby.” Courtney kissed Tequila’s head and walked over the hug Miranda goodbye.

“So you know when to take her out and feed her and where all the food and stuff is, right?” Courtney asked.

Miranda chuckled and shoved Courtney towards. “Yes, I’ve been to your house thousands of times, of course, I know where everything is. Especially your tequila and your blender. I’m living in Margaritaville this weekend.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely! Let me come with, I’ll unpack my bags right now and rent a movie and we can get this show on the road!”

“No no, nonono,” Miranda scolded. “You’re the one that decided to go through with this. Get outta here!”

“Fine,” Courtney sighed and sulked her way to her car. As she was pulling out of her driveway in her Toyota she rolled down the window to yell to Miranda, “You better take care of Tequila or I’ll kill you!”

“Don’t worry,” Miranda yelled and waved goodbye. “I’ll take care of Tequila! Both kinds!”

 

* * *

 

 

Courtney started the long drive between her place and Geoff and Bridgette’s, and the flashbacks from Total Drama were hard to keep at bay. Her crazy lawyer chatter. Her complete disregard for others’ feelings. Her overbearing tendencies. All the bridges that she had built and then burned. She was just glad that it was the just the original cast. That way she could at least avoid her disgusting ex, Scott. God, what was she ever thinking?

As much as she hated to admit it, she was really hoping that she would make a good impression. Over the years, Courtney had changed in an unimaginable way. She had been through years of therapy to get over her superiority complex and she was proud to say that she had. Courtney was now much calmer and in tune with others around her, it had been ages since she had tried to control others’ lives as she had done in her teen years.

Not only that, but she had grown into such a beautiful woman. Her curves had filled out, even more, believe it or not, and she had let her hair grow out and changed the color. She looked a great deal different on the outside and she hoped that the other past islanders would see that she was different on the inside too.

 

* * *

 

 

“Courtney!” Bridgette squealed as she opened the front door. “It’s so great to see you!” The two women embraced tightly, happy to be reunited after months of not seeing each other.

“Hi! How are you?” said Courtney, picking up her bags.

“I’m good, I’m good. Well, come on in! I want you to see what we’ve done with the place. We finally finished remodeling the kitchen and Geoff and his friends just finished installing the new sunroom windows a couple days ago.”

Bridgette had never been the most materialistic person, but her career as a professional surfer and Geoff’s construction business had definitely given her and her husband a comfortable life.

“Oh wow!” Courtney gasped as she stepped into Bridgette and Geoff’s new kitchen. “The countertops are beautiful and I absolutely love this sink and — oh my gosh! That backsplash is just to die for!”

“I know, isn’t it?” Bridgette said as she followed Courtney, giggling as how excited she was at all the new renovations. “I guess this means that we’re really old now, huh? Getting all hyped up over kitchen utensils. I sound like my mom.”

“I guess, but just look at this fridge! And you have an eight-burner stove that is amazing!”

As what Bridgette said sunk in, Courtney whipped around with her hands on her hips. “Hey! I’m not old!”

Bridgette laughed and began to lead Courtney out of the kitchen. “I know, Court. I’m just messing with you. Now come on, Geoff’s out in the backyard with the dogs. I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed to see you.”

“The backyard?” Courtney said. “You mean the entire beach? You’re so lucky you have such a nice view while I’m stuck in the city.”

“Hey, you’re always welcome to come out and visit, babe. Although things might be a little hectic the next time you’re out here.”

“What’s that mean?” Courtney asked skeptically as Bridgette opened up the double doors to the back.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bridgette changed the subject quickly. “Hey honey, look who’s here!”

Geoff stopped throwing a frisbee back and forth with his and Bridgette’s three golden retrievers to look back at his wife. “Oh shit! Courtney! Go get it, boys!” He yelled and threw the frisbee to the dogs. He ran up to the women and lifted Courtney right off her feet. “How’s it goin’ hot stuff? You been good?”

“Yeah, Geoff, I been good,” Courtney said while laughing wheezily in Geoff’s tight squeeze. “Please put me down, I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry about that, babe,” Geoff said and said her down. “But you got here just in time! Dinner reservations in an hour! So we better start getting ready if we wanna get there! Let’s go! Woohoo!” Geoff dashed off towards the house, the three dogs chasing after him and eagerly barking.

Courtney chuckled as she watched Geoff run into the house. “Same old Geoff, huh?”

“Believe it or not, he’s matured a lot. Especially in the last couple of weeks,” Bridgette sighed lovingly as she strolled after her husband.

“Oh come on!” Courtney groaned. “What is that about?”

“You’ll find out soon,” Bridgette said and kissed Courtney on the cheek.

 

* * *

 

“Well, I’m glad finals went well for you. And now, you have the summer off! So, a toast! To Courtney, and her remarkable teaching abilities!” Bridgette said and raised her iced tea in the air.

“Hear! Hear! Right on, Court!” Geoff yelled obnoxiously loud for the quaint little Italian restaurant they were in and raised his beer along with Bridgette.

Courtney clinked her glass of red wine against her friend’s drinks and took a humble sip. “Thanks, guys, the kids actually turned in some really good work this semester. Especially the seniors. I guess they really wanted to get out of there, huh?”

“More like they wanted to get to some raging parties! That’s what I did in college, right Bridge?” Geoff nudged his wife and snickered, no doubt remembering all the shenanigans he got into in school.

“Most likely,” Courtney said with a fond smile. “You sure you don’t want any wine, Bridgette?”

Bridgette and Geoff exchanged a meaningful look and Geoff nodded as if they had just been able to communicate without words, which they probably could. “Yeah, Courtney…about that…”

“You’re pregnant aren’t you?” Courtney asked bluntly and finished off her glass of wine, pouring herself another glass.

Geoff and Bridgette stared at her in utter shock. “How did you…?” Geoff mumbled.

“It was quite obvious, actually,” said Courtney analytically. “Bridgette’s been dropping hints ever since I got here, her posture has changed, she’s wearing loose-fitting clothing, and she’s refusing to drink.”

“Bridge!” It was supposed to be a surprise!” Geoff whined.

“How was I supposed to know that she would work it out? I thought I was being subtle!” Bridgette fired back at him.

“Guys, just because I’m not as crazy as I used to be doesn’t mean I’m not as smart. As I said, it was obvious. When did you guys find out?” Courtney asked, genuinely interested in her friend’s newfound family.

“A couple weeks ago, I’m about three months along and I couldn’t be happier,” Bridgette said, rubbing her stomach.

“Well,” said Courtney, and she raised her glass once more, “I’m so happy for guys. A toast, to you guys being great parents!”

They all clinked their glasses together and enjoyed the rest of their dinner, discussing their jobs, friends, and plans for tomorrow. Courtney was not as excited about that last part as Geoff and Bridgette, however.

“It’s going to be so nice to get the gang back together, don’t you think?” Bridgette asked and sighed happily. “It’s been too long.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t think it’s been long enough for some of them. I mean, I’m not the only person who actually remembers Heather right? And now that she’s a CEO her ego is probably going to be so big that she won’t even be able to fit through your front doors.”

Geoff guffawed loudly, causing people to stare again, “Nice one, Courtney. But I’m sure it won’t be so bad to see everyone. I haven’t seen the boys in so long! DJ’s probably going to bring some kind of bangin’ dessert, Trent’s record label is doing great and I can’t wait to see pictures of his daughter, and Duncan just got his chest piece done and it should be almost healed by now so that’ll be dope.”

“That’s nice,” Courtney said, swirling her wine in her glass and deliberately trying to keep thoughts away from her ex-lover’s tattooed chest. “How old is Trent’s daughter again?”

“Well, he adopted her when she was two years old and it’s been about two years since there so she’s like four, about to five I think.”

“Wow,” Courtney sighed. “I know I said that I wasn’t old earlier, Bridge, but maybe we really are old. Trent’s daughter is five! So many of you own your own businesses now. It’s insane when you think about it.”

“I think someone’s getting excited about the party tomorrow,” Geoff said in a singsong voice and winked at Courtney.

“I’m not excited!” Courtney denied and crossed her arms. “I’m just...intrigued.”

“Ok, hon,” Bridge said and rubbed Courtney’s shoulder, “we’ll see how you feel after a couple drinks tomorrow night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love making Courtney speak Spanish :') and be a bad bitch

Courtney sighed happily as she curled her hair in one of Bridgette and Geoff’s many bathrooms. It was the little moments like these that she lived for now. She had a glass of wine, her favorite music was playing, and she could just take some time to herself to get all dolled up. It was was a pleasure for Courtney because the life of a historic literature professor wasn’t particularly exciting. So as much as she didn’t love the circumstances, it was nice to pamper herself. 

She glanced over her shoulder at the black dress she had picked out for tonight and smiled. It was one of her favorite little numbers because it showed off the legs that she worked very hard to maintain and had no back to it. She was even busting out her expensive shoes for tonight. She didn’t know why, but she felt an urge to prove herself to these people. To prove that she wasn’t the same crazed teen that she was. Courtney was a grown ass woman now, a pleasant one at that, and they were all wrong about her. 

Courtney took a couple swigs of her wine to calm her nerves that were undeniably there so she could continue getting ready. She would love to say that she didn’t know why she was nervous but she completely did. It was always nice to see Geoff and Bridgette and she was so excited to catch up with Gwen. Trent and Leshawna both operated out of Toronto and she would occasionally grab dinner with them if she could, so it would be nice to see them outside of the city. It would be a little weird to see everyone again, but she wasn’t too worried about it.

There was only one person who she was worried about. One person that she had not spoken to once since their time on Total Drama had ended. No catching up, no dinner, no grabbing drinks, no phone calls. Nothing. In fact, they didn’t even follow each other on social media. Someone who she tried to shove into the back of her memories because if she didn’t, she wasn’t quite sure how she would feel. 

And that person was Duncan Muzzarelli. 

  
  


“Yeah so, I’ve been teaching at Harvard for the last couple of years,” Noah drawled from over his very obscure IPA, “which I guess is okay. Some of the kids think they’re really hot shit though and it really grates on my nerves. Like you got into Harvard, cool, calm down, I’m still the one who’s teaching you so clearly I know more than you. I don’t know who they’re trying to impress honestly.”

“Aw, Noah,” Courtney said with fake affection, “it’s so nice to see that you haven’t changed a bit.” 

Noah rolled his eyes and took another drink from his beer. “Can’t say the same for you. Honestly, you cleaned up pretty nice. It’s really refreshing talking to someone who didn’t take their television fame and turn it into some get rich quick scheme and start a talk show or a record label or something. You did something sensible and stable like I did and went into teaching.”

“Well, if you’re talking about Leshawna and Trent, they actually work really hard and I didn’t start teaching because it was sensible. I started teaching because I want to help people discover how language and literature has traveled through time and how culture can—”

“That sounds great but I think my bottle is empty. It was nice to catch up though,” said Noah as he walked away and patted Courtney on the shoulder.

Courtney stood there dumbfounded as Noah completely disregarded her story and walked away from her. She shook her head slowly and headed back out to the backyard to rejoin the others. It really irked her that somebody could be so disrespectful as Noah, she really hoped that that’s not how people used to see her, but it probably was. 

As Courtney stepped outside and let the ocean breeze hit her face, she really took in the scene in front of her. It was really odd for her to look out over this group of people who had played such a huge role in her life. Most of them at least. Izzy was apparently studying nuclear energy in Russia, Ezekiel was completely out of the question, Justin hadn’t even bothered to answer the RSVP, Eva was at a bodybuilding competition, and Tyler was still chasing television fame on another reality show. 

She sat down next to Gwen and Bridgette and sighed. “Well, I know one thing. I would absolutely hate to have Noah as my professor.”

“Did he completely degrade your profession too?” Gwen asked and then munched on the olive from her martini. 

“No, but had the nerve to insinuate that Trent and Leshawna made ‘get rich quick schemes’ out of their careers and that I went into teaching to be sensible. And he completely walked away when I tried to tell him why I’m a teacher anyway!” 

“Ugh, that’s so rude of him,” Bridgette said and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe that Duncan still isn’t here but Noah showed up. Early and ready to evaluate all my life choices. I can’t wait to hear what he says when Geoff and I tell everyone that I’m pregnant.”

Gwen made some kind of retching noise and then started to choke violently on her cocktail. Courtney patted her on the back and tried to soothe her back to breathing. Once Gwen had calmed down a bit she looked at Bridgette with her mouth agape. “You’re what?!”

“Shh!” Bridgette shushed and looked around to make sure no one was staring too much. “We want it to be a surprise! We’re gonna do it after Duncan gets here so we can tell everyone. Speaking of,” Bridgette glanced at her watch and then called out to Geoff and said, “Geoff, Honey? Can you come here please?” Geoff looked a little frantic and rushed away from DJ and Cody over to his wife. 

“What’s wrong?” He whispered to her. “What’s wrong with the baby?”

“Nothing’s wrong with the baby honey,” Bridgette said. “I was just wondering if you’d heard from Duncan. Is he going to be here soon? He’s two hours late and my feet are swollen and I really want to take my shoes off and DJ made dessert and I really want to eat because I’m really hungry and —”

“Baby, breathe,” Geoff reminded Bridgette. “He’s on his way. He said that work ran a little late but he’ll be here soon, okay? Nothing to worry about. Do you want me to get you something to snack on until he’s here?” 

“That would be really nice, thanks honey,” Bridgette said and kissed Geoff on the cheek. “Can you bring me another virgin mojito too, please?” 

“Sure thing, babe,” Geoff said and ran into the house. 

“Aw, that was so sweet of him,” Courtney cooed. “You guys make my dating life look so sad and pathetic it only makes me  _ kind of _ hate you.” 

“Yeah, well, who knows, Court. As soon as Duncan walks in that door your dating life might not be so sad and pathetic.” Gwen said and smiled at Courtney. 

“Ok, first of all, fuck you,” Courtney said even though she was smiling. “My love life is not  _ that _ bad. Second of all, fuck you. We dated when we were teenagers on a reality television show.”

“Yeah, but Geoff and I dated when we were teenagers on a reality television show,” said Bridgette, sliding her left hand and her glittering diamond ring into Courtney’s view, “and look at where we are now.” 

“Bridgette’s right, Courtney,” Gwen said. “You never know what’s gonna happen. But you  _ do  _ know that when I dated him, which I still try to block from my memory, by the way, he was still completely over the moon for you. Maybe that never wore off for him.” 

Courtney’s mind started to wander way too quickly and the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering way too much for her liking. There was no way that Duncan still had feelings for her after almost fifteen years of having absolutely no contact. She definitely didn’t still have feelings for him, right? The fact that she hadn’t even seen him yet and she was already questioning that fact made her way too nervous. Too many things were way too out of her control and the only thing she could think to fix this situation was more alcohol. 

“You guys are too much for me,” Courtney sighed and got up from her seat, “I need another drink. You want another martini, Gwen?” 

“That would be great, thanks,” Gwen said. As Courtney started to walk away, Gwen and Bridgette returned to their conversation and Courtney started retreating into her head. She took this time to really look at what was happening around her. It was still such a shock to see everyone back together again. Lindsay, Beth, and Heather, of all people, were all chatting over glasses of wine and catching up. DJ and Cody were hearing all the latest topics that Leshawna wanted to discuss on her shows, Trent was playing Owen and Harold a sample of one of the latest songs he was producing off of his phone, and one of the biggest snakes Courtney had ever met in her life, Alejandro, was standing at the bar. Right where she needed to be. 

“Buenas noches, bella dama,” Alejandro all but purred at her, and Courtney sneered. 

“Que quieres, Alejandro?” Courtney asked. “ Quieres frotar tu éxito en mi cara? O es que tu y Heather se divorcian?”

“Encantador.” Alejandro remarked sarcastically Estoy muy felizmente casada, muchas gracias. Y usted? Viniste solo esta noche?” 

“Bueno, eso no es realmente tu problema,” said Courtney, turning her attention to the bartender. “Could I get a Manhattan and a dirty martini, please?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the bartender said and started making Courtney’s drinks. 

“Lo tomaré como un sí, no?” When Alejandro was greeted with silence he said, “Estás emocionado de ver a Duncan, sí?”

Courtney accepted the cocktails from the bartender with a smile and left him a generous tip. She turned her smile to Alejandro but when it landed in his direction it became very strained like she was fighting the urge to hit him. “Creo que hemos terminado de hablar aquí,” was all she said before storming off back to Gwen and Bridgette. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told more from Duncan's perspective. Sorry, it's so short but I really want to change the POV back to Courtney because OOF I have a fun idea.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Duncan cursed as he hung his helmet from the handlebar of his motorcycle and fussed with his hair. “Shit! I’m late!” He began to scurry away when he had to turn back and get the present he had brought along for Bridgette and Geoff. “Fuck, I’m so late!” Typically, Duncan didn’t care how late he was to places, he was his own boss, but he had been out of the country when Bridgette and Geoff got married. He had to make up for that, right?

He ran to the front of the grand beach house and rang the obnoxiously loud doorbell. It sure was easy to tell which house belonged to his loudmouth friend Geoff. He bounced anxiously as he waited for the door to open. Who was going to be there? Maybe Gwen was there and he could bounce some ideas off of her. Oh! Hopefully, DJ was there and had brought some food because DJ’s cooking was the best. 

“Duncan! Dude! Finally!” Geoff sighed when he opened the door. “Thank god that you’re here! Bridgette has been asking about you for the past hour! What took so long, man?”

“I’m sorry, dude. One of my clients passed out during his appointment and I couldn’t just leave him there, y’know?” Duncan explained as he walked into Geoff’s foyer. “But, hey! I brought you guys something.” Duncan handed Geoff a bottle of aged scotch. “I know you have a pretty extensive collection. I hope that one holds a good place.”

“Awesome, dude! I love it!” Geoff said and wrapped an arm around Duncan. “Now come on! The party is this-a-way, my guy! Everyone is going to be so stoked to see you!” 

“I somehow doubt that my friend,” Duncan said and shoved Geoff’s arm off of him. “You got an open bar goin’ on or…?”

“You know it, bro. Fully stocked bar, catering, DJ brought dessert, we got everythang goin’ on tonight!” Geoff yelled and pumped his fist in the air. “Wait until you see the backyard, man, I tricked this motha out!”

“Good to see the married life hasn’t made you any tamer, dude. How sober are you right now?” Duncan asked while chuckling. 

“Sober enough,” Geoff replied and winked at Duncan. “Now come on before my wife kills me!” 

“Alright already, how many people even showed up to this thing anw — wow,” Duncan trailed off as he was faced with just over a dozen faces from his past. He smiled when he saw Owen still scarfing down food, and Lindsay babbling about fashion to Beth, Noah looked bored while talking to Harold, Cody was talking to Katie and Sadie who were holding hands and wearing wedding rings, and Heather and Alejandro were talking amongst themselves in the corner. His eyes seemed to want to skip Trent as he scanned the room, guilt seeping into him slightly, not that he would admit it. It was almost like old times. 

“Babe, look who finally showed up!” Geoff called to Bridgette and excitedly dragged Duncan along with him. 

“Oh, Duncan!” Bridgette squealed and got up to hug him. “It’s so nice to see you! How have you been?” 

“Ooh, Bridgette, ouch,” Duncan winced and pulled away from Bridgette’s tight embrace. “New chest piece, remember?” 

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Bridgette said and patted Duncan’s chest gently. “I totally forgot about that.”

“Come on, tough guy. Let’s see it,” Gwen said to him with a fond smile. 

“It is nice to see you too, Gweneth,” Duncan said with a smile to match. “Already trying to get my clothes of, huh? That’s a bit bold of you.”

“You’re such a dick,” Gwen chuckled and shook her head. “I’m a sucker for good art, even if the canvas that it’s on is a giant moron. Now come on, strip.” 

Duncan smirked and began to unbutton his black dress shirt. “Fine, but only because you asked so nicely. Once he had undone the last button he pushed either side of his shirt open so his old friends could see the ink sprawled all over his chest. His newest addition was a large owl that had dark, intense eyes with its wings spread over his pectorals. 

“Wow, Duncan,” Bridgette said, “that’s actually really beautiful.” 

“Thanks,” Duncan said with a proud smile. “It took hours and hurt like a bitch but I think it was worth it.”

And that’s when it happened. That’s when he saw her. With him standing there with his shirt open and his chest exposed, and suddenly he felt very naked. 

Her dark red hair hung down her back in loose curls and her curves were accentuated a little black silk dress that lead down to long, tan legs. He knew he was ogling, but how could he not when those long legs were coming towards him and one of the thighs was dripping in black and grey flowers. It was Courtney. He knew it was. There was no way those intense brown eyes could belong to any other woman. And oh god, she was standing right in front of him. And  _ oh god _ , she had tattoos.


End file.
